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St. Rose adds Vitamin D test to menu at blood screenings
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         If you compare the costs of a fractured bone to the cost of the Vitamin D test – well, there is no comparison, said Jill Doerfler, M.D.

          Dr. Doerfler, St. Rose Family Medicine physician, said some fractures could affect every part of life, while the Vitamin D test is only $25. The test is being offered for the first time at the regular St. Rose Health Center blood screening.

          The next St. Rose screening is set for 6:30 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23 at the facility. The walk-in event is open to the public on St. Rose’s first floor.

          “Vitamin D is crucial to bone health,” Dr. Doerfler said. “It must be combined with calcium to help prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures.

A broken bone can cost you thousands of dollars, your mobility and maybe even your livelihood for an indefinite period.

          “Some places charge $250 or $300 for this test but for $25 at St. Rose you can determine if you need to be concerned about a deficiency,” she continued. “This is equally important for women and men.”

          Vitamin D allows calcium absorption and is added to some foods. However, sunshine is the best source of the vitamin.

          Bone pain can be one symptom of a deficiency, Dr. Doerfler said, noting menopausal women and newborns without breast milk may be more apt to lack Vitamin D.

          The family-medicine doctor noted that Vitamin D is fat-soluble, which means it can be stored in the liver. “Other vitamins pass through urination,” she said. “But Vitamin D works differently.”

Dr. Doerfler suggests talking with a primary-care physician about a recommended dose for a Vitamin D supplement that should be coupled with calcium.

“They work together as a team,” she said. “Your doctor can help you figure out the right amount for each.”

Other tests offered at each St. Rose blood screening are a $25 blood profile that involves a complete blood count; comprehensive analysis of more than 20 blood chemistries; lipid profile for breakdowns of cholesterol and triglyceride numbers; and a thyroid test. Fasting is highly recommended.

However, it is not necessary to fast before the other two blood tests. One is the $16 PSA that checks a man’s prostate and the other is the $7.50 HGBA1C test for diabetes.

          Neither a doctor’s referral nor an appointment is required; cash and checks are accepted.

          St. Rose specializes in primary care, prevention and wellness. Services include St. Rose Family Medicine, Convenient Care Walk-in Clinic, Great Bend Internists, imaging, Special Nursing Services, one-day surgical procedures, Golden Belt Home Health & Hospice and a comprehensive Specialty Clinic. St. Rose is co-owned by Hays Medical Center and Centura Health.

         

Fuller boosts production with a new machine
new deh fuller fatal accident logo
In a small chamber at the back of Fuller Industries Inc.’s plant west of Great Bend, the longtime manufacturer’s new, gleaming stainless steel and glass monopod machine chugs along, as brightly colored cleaner pods roll into awaiting buckets.
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